Sautéed Bok (Pok) Choy and Chicken is so reminiscent of most meals I had as a child. Add protein to any vegetable, sauté or "fry up" (if you are Guyanese), serve it over rice and lunch I served. This is how I grew up eating. Most of our greens (vegetables) came from the local market or our back yard or my grandmother's kitchen garden. Most of our protein came from local farmers or neighborhood butcher shops. Life was so simple then. Thing that remained constant is the fact that I still cook this way. Ok I am mostly eating my protein and vegetables over cauliflower rice, but you know, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. On any given day of the week, you can find me in the kitchen, cooking up some protein and then adding some vegetables to make a dish that I am serving over rice (for my family). With simple and clean ingredients these type of meals are winners every time.
Jump to:
Cooking the Chicken
I love using pantry staples like onion powder, granulated garlic, mustard and tomato paste to season my chicken. There is no need for elaborate fresh herbs or spices. This is a whatever you've got kind of dish. This is how my mom cooked. We didn't always have a particular herb or spice when cooking but her meals were still delicious. In this recipe I added some onion powder, garlic powder, salt, ground ginger, coconut aminos, mustard and tomato paste. You can add other spices or leave some out. It's totally up to you.
A wok (click here for a link to the wok I am using), sauté pan or skillet works perfectly for these types of recipes because the heat is evenly distributed through the pan for quick cooking. Cooking this dish on high heat also gives the chicken a bit of a char and amplifies the flavor of the marinade.
Prepping the Bok/Pok Choy
Bok coy is one of those vegetables that can be a bit intimidating but if you want to try something different give this recipe a try. I buy bok choy mostly, from my local Sprouts or even Walmart. Sometimes I get it from the Asian markey. At the local supermarket the bok choy has large white stems and smaller green leaves. I love the green leaves more than the white stems. At the Asian markets they are not as big as the ones from the local supermarket and white and green parts are almost equally distributed, which I love. For instructions on how to separate the leave, wash the pok choy and cut it up, check out this other recipe for Sautéed Pok Choy. It's an old one but still a great recipe.
Adding the Bok/Pok Choy
The texture of the white stem part of the bok choy is thicker and more fibrous than the green leaves. Therefore they need more cooking time. I simply separate the white stems from the green leaves when chopping up the bok choy, then I let the white stems cook first before adding the green leaves.
Bok Choy cooks up very similar to spinach. You can start out with a large pot of bok choy and end up with a spoonful when it is done cooking. To minimize this, I only cook the green stems for a few minutes, 3-5 minutes max. Then I remove the dish from the heat, to stop it from cooking further.
The Finished Dish
Next time you go grocery shopping, if you see some bok choy, grab it and make this dish, I promise you won't regret it!
Make it your own
- Use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs if you have them on hand
- Add slices of tomatoes just before adding the bok/pok choy
- Use pre-made sauces or marinates to amplify the flavor of the protein
- Switch out the protein, beef or shrimp are great options
- Use fresh or frozen spinach if you don't have access to bok/pok choy
The Printable Bok Choy and Chicken Recipe
Printable Recipe Card
Bok (Pok) Choy and Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs of boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2 inch cubes
- 3 bunches of bok choy washed and chopped up (white stems separated from green leaves)
- 1 tablespoon of onion powder or granulated onions
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoon of coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon of spicy brown mustard
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
- pinch of cayenne pepper optional
- parsley flakes optional
Instructions
- Combine chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, coconut aminos, mustard, tomato paste, ground ginger and cayenne pepper and parsley flakes (if using) in a large bowl
- Then mix together well and let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking
- When ready to cook, add coconut oil to a large wokon high heat
- When oil comes up to temperature at the seasoned/marinated chicken and sauté until the chicken is fully cooked. This should take about 15 minutes
- Next, add the white stems of the bok choy and continue to sauté until it is slightly translucent and a soft
- Then add the green leaves and the remaining salt
- Continue to sauté, stirring often for 3 to 5 minutes then remove from the heat
Check out these other recipes you may have missed this week:
Sautéed Canned Salmon
Boil and Fry Cassava
Caitlin M says
The marinated chicken thighs with bok Choy hit the spot! The meal was amazing. I served it with the coconut cauliflower rice .
Althea Brown says
Thank you so much for sharing
Althea Brown says
Yummy. Thanks for sharing